Dear Members of the Manufacturing USA Network,  

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to announce a competition for a new Manufacturing USA institute. The expected competition will seek to establish a Manufacturing USA institute focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the resilience of U.S. manufacturers. The U.S. Government intends to enter into a five-year agreement with the possibility of a non-competitive extension for up to an additional two (2) years and provide federal funding of up to $70 million. This funding is to be matched or exceeded by funding from private industry and other non-federal sources, with a required minimum 1:1 cost share.

This Notice of Intent (NOI) is provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations among industry, academia, Federal laboratories, and state/local government.  

NIST expects the new institute to integrate expertise in AI, manufacturing, and optimization of supply chain networks to strengthen the resilience of domestic manufacturing. As required by the authorizing statute, NIST will ensure that the AI institute to be established will not substantially duplicate the work of the existing network of Manufacturing USA institutes.   

NIST plans to use a two-stage process for soliciting applications for this directed-topic Manufacturing USA institute.  

• Concept Papers will be considered in the first stage of the competition.  
• Applicants submitting the most meritorious concepts will be invited to submit Full Proposals in the second stage of the competition.  

Ways to Engage  

• To learn more about the NOI, please view the recorded information session. 

• A voluntary and public teaming partner list is planned, which may help interested parties communicate, collaborate, and advance shared goals. Once available, the list will be accessible here. 

• To allow the public to learn more about the solicitation before submitting a proposal, NIST will host a webinar and at least one in-person Proposer’s Day. The date and location for the webinar and Proposer's Day(s) will be confirmed upon the release of the OTFOA, anticipated in Spring 2024. 

• Questions and inquiries can be emailed to ManufacturingUSA@nist.gov with “MFG USA -- AI Institute Competition” in the subject line.  

• NIST also expects to post and update answers to Frequently Asked Questions to support this NOI and the future competition. Interested applicants should monitor the NIST OAM Funding Opportunities website for updates. 

Note that this NOI for an AI Manufacturing USA institute is separate from any planned solicitations for Manufacturing USA semiconductor institutes funded through the CHIPS Actⁱ and is separate from NIST’s U.S. AI Safety Institute (USAISI).  Interested parties should monitor https://www.nist.gov/chips/chips-rd-funding-opportunities for information regarding CHIPS-funded semiconductor institutes, and https://www.nist.gov/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence-safety-institute for updates on the USAISI.   

ⁱ - Title XCIX—Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116-283, often referred to as the CHIPS Act).